Analytical Capabilities
VINSE Analytical laboratory contains a comprehensive set of processing and characterization tools for extensive chemical and structural characterization of the materials. Analytical suite of high-performance analytical instrumentation facilitates the investigation of both individual nanoparticles and bulk materials.
Confocal Raman Microscope | Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) | NanoAssemblr | NanoSight | Nitrogen Glovebox | Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM-D) | Schlenk Line | Spectrophotofluorometer | Spectrophotometer | Spectroscopic Ellipsometer | Stylus Profilometer | Thermogravimetric Analyzer | UV Ozone Cleaner | Zetasizer
Confocal Raman Microscope - Thermo Scientific DXR
- 532 nm (10 mW) and 780 nm (24 mW) depolarized lasers with power regulated in 0.1 mW
- Microscope independently certified as class-1 laser safe
- 10X, 50X and 100X optical objectives
- Motorized mapping stage: 1 µm x, y spatial resolution, 2 µm precision depth-profiling
- Full-range grating 3500-50 cm-1, resolution 5 cm-1,
- High-range grating 1800-50 cm-1, resolution 3 cm-1
- Extended spectral range for 532 nm laser to 6,000 cm-1 , resolution 8 cm-1
- Sensitivity (signal to noise ratio) 532 nm laser 1000:1, 780 nm high brightness laser 150:1
- Wavenumber accuracy ± 2.0 cm-1
- Proprietary auto alignment and calibration across entire spectral range
- Confocal and high-energy collection modes
- Confocal depth resolution — demonstrated as good as 1.7 µm on ideal sample
- Supports surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) measurements
- Automatic fluorescence correction
- Research-quality Olympus viewing optics
- Proprietary algorithm for automated cosmic ray rejection
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer - JBruker Tensor 27
- Permanently aligned cube corner RockSolidTM interferometer
- DigiTectTMdetector system, high sensitivity DLATGS
- Near-IR, Mid-IR and Far-IR capability: 7500-370 cm-1
- Resolution better than 1 cm-1
- Wavenumber Accuracy better than 0.01 cm-1
- Photometric Accuracy better than 0.1 % T
- PMA 50 module for polarization modulation
- Monolayer Reflectance Absorbance Spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS)
- Vibrational Circular or Linear Dichroism (VCD/VLD) capability
- Seagull variable angle reflection accessory
NanoAssemblr - Precision Nanosystems Benchtop
- Microfluidics-based manufacture of novel nanoparticles by controlled nanoprecipitation.
- Nucleic acid lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, polymer NPs, emulsions, organic/inorganic NPs
- Isolated fluid path prevents cross-contamination
- Laminar fluid flow and time-invariant mixing
- Rapid mixing (<3 ms)
- <2 min per formulation
- Prepare 1 to 15 mL nanoparticles / run
- Flow rate: 1 mL/min – 18 mL/min
- Syringe compatibility 1, 3, 5, 10 mL
- “Limit Size” is controlled by nanoparticle composition
- Heating controller: 20-70 °C, 3 and 1 mL syringes
NanoSight - Malvern Panalytical NS300
- Measurement type: Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA)
- Rapid analysis of the size distribution and concentration of all types of nanoparticles from 0.01 - 1 µm. Detection of labels when using in fluorescence mode
- Concentration range: 106 to 109 particles per mL
- Low-volume flow cell provides data from as little as 250 μL of sample
- Flow Mode for improved sampling statistics
- He-Ne laser 642nm, Max 40mW
- 20x magnification microscope
- Computer controlled motorized focus
- Camera: sCMOS
- Fluorescence: motorized filter wheel
- The camera operates at 30 frames per second (fps)
- Temperature control range: from 5 °C below ambient to 50 °
Nitrogen Glovebox - Mbraun Unilab Workstation
- Modular nitrogen glove box
- External gas purification system
- Large and small standard antechambers
- Programmable logic controller control with touch-screen monitor
- Attainable box atmosphere purity of <1 ppm H2O, <1ppm O2
- Box integrated freezer ( -35 oC)
- Internal Argon, Vacuum lines
Quartz Crystal Microbalance w/ Dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) - Biolin Scientific Qsense E4
- Number of sensors: 4, also possible to measure using only 1,2 or 3 sensors
- Volume above each sensor: ~ 40 μl
- Minimum sample volume: ~300 μl
- Working temperature: 15 to 65 °C, controlled via the software, stability +-0.02 K
- Typical flow rates: 50-200 μl/min
- All parts exposed to liquid can easily be removed and cleaned in e.g. ultrasonic bath
- Sensor crystals: 5 MHz, 14 mm diameter, polished, AT-cut, gold electrodes
- Flow cell material: titanium
- Frequency range: 1-70 MHz (allows 7 frequencies, up to the 13th overtone, 65 Mhz for a 5 MHz crystal)
- Maximum mass sensitivity in liquid ~ 0.5 ng/cm2 (5 pg/mm2)
- Normal mass sensitivity in liquid ~ 1.8 ng/cm2 (18pg/mm2)
- Maximum dissipation sensitivity in liquid ~ 0.04 x 10-6
- Normal dissipation sensitivity in liquid ~ 0.1 x 10-6
- Modules: window, electrochemistry, high temperature module, ellipsometry
Schlenk Line - Dual Manifold Vacuum/Argon Line
- One manifold is connected to a source of purified inert gas, while the other is connected to a high vacuum pump
- The inert gas line is vented through an oil bubbler, while solvent vapors and gaseous products are prevented from contaminating the pump through a cold trap
- Special stopcocks allow for vacuum or inert gas to be selected without the need for placing the sample on a separate line
- Several ports/lines for several operations to be run at the same time
Spectrophotofluorometer - Jobin Yvon Fluorolog-3 FL3-111
- Operating range from 220 nm to 3000 nm
- No grating or detector configuration changes to the system are necessary for operation from 220 nm to 1600 nm
- Manual emission detector change is needed to extend the range out to 3000 nm
- Source- ozone-free Xenon arc lamp 450 W with output from 220 nm to 2500 nm
- Excitation and Emission monochromators- modified Czerny-Turner design with spherical and toroidal mirrors to eliminate astigmatism
- Kinematically mounted classically ruled grating
- The monochromator’s slits can be adjusted from .2 nm to 30 nm in .1 nm increments
- The monochromators have a wavelength accuracy of 0.5 nm over their scanning range and wavelength repeatability of 0.1 nm
- Each monochromator automatically self-calibrates its wavelength and slit positions on start-up
- Sample compartment- T-format design to accommodate one excitation and two emission monochromators simultaneously
- Achromatic reflective aluminized front face focusing mirrors. The MgF2 protected aluminized mirrors reflect from the vacuum UV to far IR (which includes the 250 nm to 3000 nm region)
- 1:1 imaging from the monochromator slits to the sample provides for precise focusing on micro volume samples
- A silicon photodiode reference detector serves to monitor the Xenon lamp’s spectrum so it can be ratioed out on the fly or after the fact for corrected excitation spectra
- A mechanical excitation shutter automatically prevents sample photobleaching when data isn’t being taken
- Emission detectors- each of the three emission detectors has a range that it works over
- Hamamatsu R928 PMT with room temperature housing, HV power supply and single photon counting amplifier discriminator electronic module has a range from 200 nm to 900 nm
- PbS thermoelectrically cooled solid-state IR detector with preamp, thermoelectric cooler power supply, IR detector housing (with 6:1 achromatic reflective aluminized front face focusing mirror) and current to frequency electronic module has a range from 1000 nm to 3000 nm
- InGaAs liquid nitrogen cooled solid-state NIR detector with preamp and 15-volt power supply (for use with the InAs detector’s IR detector housing and current to frequency electronic module) has a range from 800 nm to 1600 nm
- Radiometric emission correction factors for every relevant grating and detector combination are provided to correct for the wavelength response of the grating and detector. The radiometric correction factor can be applied after the fact or on the fly for corrected emission spectra
- Software- FluorEssence™ merges spectrofluorometer data-acquisition directly to the Origin® software
- Liquid sample holder for standard (10 mm path length) cuvette
Spectrophotometer - Agilent Technologies Cary 5000
- 175 to 3300 nm measurement range using a PbSmart NIR detector
- Scan rate in the UV-Vis: .001 to 2000 nm/min or 0.075 to 31206 cm-1/min or 0.01 to 20000 Å/min. NIR scan rate 0.004 to 8000 nm/min or 0.019 to 57142 cm-1/min and 0.04 Å to 80000 Å/min
- Beyond 8.0 absorbance units with reference beam attenuation
- Sample compartment with LockDown mechanism for quick changes and positioning for reproducible results
- Schwarzschild coupling
- Littrow monochromator
- Nitrogen pumping – separate purging in the sample and monochromator compartments
- Liquid Cell holder incorporating standard (10 mm pathlength) rectangular cell holders
- Liquid Cell holder for temperature-controlled measurements with the range 0 to 100 °C
- Solid Sample Holder with the aperture masks to allow beam collimation and measurement of small samples
- Near-Normal Specular Reflection Accessory - 8° angle of incidence with interchangeable masks for examining small samples or small areas on large samples: 3 and 6 mm in diameter
- Universal measurement accessory to measure absolute specular reflectance, transmission and scattering at different polarizations and a wide range of angles in 0.02° intervals using two-color rotating Si/InGaAs detector in a range 190-2800 nm
Spectroscopic Ellipsometer - JA Woollam M-2000
- Operating range from UV 370 nm extended to NIR 1690nm
- 370-1000nm, 390 wavelengths, 1005-1690nm, 190 wavelengths
- Detector CCD
- Angle of incidence range: 15 °- 90 °
- Modular optical design
- Data acquisition rate (complete Spectrum) 0.05 seconds (2-5 seconds is typical)
- Max substrate thickness 18 mm
- Heat cell to control the sample temperature from room temperature to 300 ° Purge gas capability
- LiquidCell with capacity 5 mL and angle of incidence 75° to fit 50 mm silicon wafers and 3x1 inch glass microscope slides
- Combined QCM-D/Ellipsometry setup for real-time characterization of thin molecular films with the angle of incidence of 65°
- Measure thin film thickness and optical constants
- Measure the optical constants (both n and k) from any type of material, whether dielectric, organic, semiconductor, or metal
- Sensitive to less than a monolayer of material (sub-nm) on a surface and yet can determine thickness for transparent films up to tens of microns
Stylus Profilometer - Bruker Dektak 150
- Measurement Technique: contact stylus profilometry
- Measurement Capability: two-dimensional surface profile measurements
- Sample Viewing 640 x 480-pixel (1/3 in.-format) camera
- Stylus Sensor Low-Inertia Sensor (LIS 3)
- Stylus Force 1 to 12 mg with LIS 3 sensor
- Stylus radius: 12.5 μm
- Sample Stage Manual X/Y/, 100 x 100 mm X-Y translation, 360° rotation, manual leveling
- Scan Length Range: 55 mm
- Data Points Per Scan 120,000 maximum
- Sample Thickness Up to 90 mm
- Wafer Size: 150 mm
- Step Height Repeatability: 6 Å
- Vertical Range 524 μm
- Vertical Resolution 1 Å max. (at 6.55 μm range)
Thermogravimetric Analyzer - Instrument Specialties TGA 1000
- Temperature range: ambient to 1000 °C
- Weight measuring ranges: up to 20 or 200 mg
- Heating and cooling rate 0.1-300 °C /min
- Weight readability: 0.001 mg
- Temperature Accuracy: +/- 0.5 °C
- Temperature Segments: 10, each segment includes a ramp, isothermal hold and a gas switch
- Dual PID controller
- Time vs. temperature profiles
UV Ozone Cleaner - Jelight M42
- Cleaning tray size 6x6 inch
- Max height adjustment 1.5 inch
- Highly efficient source of UV light: 185 nm and 254 nm. Atomic oxygen is simultaneously generated when molecular oxygen and ozone is dissociated
- The process does not damage sensitive device structures of MOS gate oxide
- Substrate UV cleaning prior to thin film deposition
- Cleaning of silicon wafers, lenses, mirrors, solar panels, cold rolled steel
- Enhancing oxide passivated surfaces
- Enhance outgassing of glass
- Improve adhesion of coatings on plastics
- Growing oxide layers on silicon wafers
- Cleaning circuit boards prior to packaging/adhesion
- Increase hydrophilic characteristics of surfaces
- UV Cleaning and sterilization for bioscience applications
Zetasizer - Malvern Panalytical Advance Series Ultra (Red Label)
- Measurement types: particle/molecular size, absolute molecular weight, zeta potential
- Measurement types: particle/molecular size, particle concentration, absolute molecular weight, zeta potential
- Size measurement from 0.3 nm (diameter) to 10 microns using patented NIBS (Non-Invasive Back Scatter) Dynamic Light Scattering, Dynamic Light Scattering (90° and 13°), Multi-Angle Dynamic Light Scattering (MADLS)
- Zeta potential using patented M3-PALS technology and Constant Current Mode
- Molecular weight measurement using Static Light Scattering (90° and 173°)
- Protein size measurement as dilute as 0.1 mg/mL 15kDa Protein
- Sample concentrations from 0.1 ppm to 40% w/v
- Temperature range extension option to 120 °C
- Incorporates polarization, fluorescence optical filters
- He-Ne laser 633 nm, Max 10 mW
- Measurement type: Particle size and molecular size
- Measurement range 0.3nm – 10.0 microns (diameter)
- Measurement principle: Dynamic Light Scattering (NIBS and MADLS)
- Minimum sample volume: 3µL
- Measurement type: Zeta potential (and optional Protein Mobility)
- Measurement principle: Mixed-Mode Measurement phase analysis light scattering (M3-PALS)
- Measurement range: 3.8nm – 100 microns (diameter)
- Minimum sample volume: 20µL
- Concentration range: 1 mg/mL to 40% w/v
- Sensitivity: 10mg/mL (BSA)
- Measurement type: Molecular weight
- Measurement range: 980Da – 20M Da
- Measurement principle: Static Light Scattering using Debye plot
- Accuracy: +/- 10% typical
- Measurement type: Particle concentration
- Measurement principle: MADLS – Particle concentration (Mie)
- Concentration range: 1x108 to1x1012 particles/mL